Category: Italy
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Final thoughts and what did I actually forget?
I had a great time on this trip! It was the first solo bike tour I’ve taken in quite a long time, and I wondered how I would feel. In certain ways I found it a little easier to tour by myself simply because I could make all the decisions by myself and I was…
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Up to the Dolomites, and entering Austria!
One thing about traveling like I am, making plans one day at a time (and then making changes on the fly) and not really researching what I’m going to see along the way is that the day presents things that are often surprising. That was the case today as I climbed and began to see…
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Tunnels! My favorite thing!
Today and tomorrow looked like pretty big days for elevation gain at 4,000 and 3,800 feet respectively. I left the hotel after a hefty breakfast and 3 cups of coffee, and stopped in Bolzano to see what I could find in a co-op grocery store. But darned if I could find that grocery store, even…
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Beautiful mist and then sun: Trento to Bolzano
I guess I’ll get the bad news out of the way at the first part of this blog. I FORGOT MY LEFTOVER PIZZA IN THE FRIDGE AT THE B&B! So sad, but I guess I will survive. I had a good night’s sleep, and a crappy breakfast at the B&B, and then… just as I…
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A path of wine and water on the way to Trento 
After yesterday‘s torrential rains, I was hoping that today would be a little bit better, but I was prepared for rain, placing all my rain gear closely accessible as I got my bike ready to go. However, the day ended up being much better than predicted with even some occasional spots of sunshine. It also…
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Rest day with torrents of rain!
I have ridden a little over 200 miles in the past 4 days, and my body needs a rest. In addition, torrential rains were forecast for last night and today, so I booked two nights in an agrotourismo just feet off the path I am riding on. I learned that the haze in the air…
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Into the foothills of the Alps!
I barely scratched the surface of everything to see in Mantua, but it looks like a pretty cool place that I could add to the list of places that would be great to go back to. It’s a growing list! In 2016, Mantua was named the Italian Capital of Culture, and then in 2017 became…
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80 miles from Bologna to Mantua!
The route between Bologna and Mantua is mostly flat, and I wanted to make some distance today since there are forecasts of rain starting on Saturday going for a few days. I could be in the foothills of the Alps tomorrow, and might find a place to hold up if the storm is as bad…
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Over Futa Pass and into Bologna!
After my short day yesterday, I went to bed early after a lovely dinner at the campground restaurant! And so, I woke up at 6:30 AM and hit the road by around 8 AM. It was still cool. The forecast was for 92° that day and I planned to ride about 35 or 40 miles…
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Days in Florence waiting for bike.
I started this ride in Florence primarily to spend some time with my friend Anna, the widow of an old friend from Boulder who lives in Florence. I met her just once a few years ago with her husband John and my friends Randy and Jeanne, and wanted to connect again. We spent hours sharing…